Multi-modal Watercraft

ABSTRACT

A multi-modal watercraft including a hull including a missing portion. A floor completes at least part of the missing portion of the hull and forms the floor of a hold. The floor can be raised and lowered from the water level and also is detachable from the hull.

BACKGROUND

Recreational yachts usually do not carry any auxiliary vehicles and have difficult accessibility and small storage capacity. Also, only the biggest models include a hoist or a mobile platform to carry out an auxiliary or secondary boat as an inflatable boat, semi-rigid boat, jet ski, or personal watercraft. Ferries can carry vehicles and load/unload in a port, but do not work well in other anchorage situations. Also, there are some modular boats with different and independent modules for cargo management but they do not include a living area and are not handicap accessible. There are also amphibious vehicles for water and road but they usually do not do both of them efficiently. Also, luxury yachts or multi-hull watercraft can travel with a shadow yacht in order to carry any auxiliary vehicle, but there is not an affordable solution to allow enjoying the advantages of a watercraft as well carrying auxiliary vehicles to use them in any anchorage or an easy way to load/unload cargo in any anchorage situation.

There is not an affordable solution that allows enjoying the advantages of a recreational watercraft with living areas as well as an integrated solution for carrying auxiliary vehicles to use in any anchorage or an easy way to load/unload cargo and passengers in any anchorage situation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the watercraft;

FIG. 2 shows a frontal view of the watercraft;

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the watercraft;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the main structure of the watercraft;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the watercraft with a portion of the hull removed;

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the watercraft with a portion of the hull removed;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective of the watercraft and the auxiliary boats detached;

FIG. 9 shows a top view of the watercraft and the auxiliary boats;

FIG. 10 shows the interior of a hold of the watercraft with cranes and guide rails for the up/down system;

FIG. 11 shows a detail of the guides in the hold and the attachment system in the auxiliary boat;

FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of the watercraft with optional hydrofoils;

FIGS. 13 and 14 show a detail of the inflatable sides of the auxiliary boats;

FIGS. 15 and 16 show the metal shutters dividing the different areas in the hold in a longitudinal cross-section and in a posterior view;

FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of the watercraft with an auxiliary boat being lowered as a ramp;

FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the watercraft with the front auxiliary boat being detached;

FIG. 19 shows a rear perspective view of the stern of the watercraft with the gantry bridge and the rear auxiliary boat;

FIG. 20 shows a front perspective view of the watercraft showing the inside of the hold with the prow with the bridge crane and the front auxiliary boat;

FIG. 21 shows a perspective view of the watercraft showing the access to the hold from the main deck; and

FIG. 22 shows a perspective view of the watercraft showing the pedestrian access points to the watercraft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the embodiments may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. It is to be fully recognized that the different teachings of the embodiments discussed below may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not function. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in interest of clarity and conciseness.

In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a central axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to the central axis. For instance, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to the central axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the central axis.

The current invention was designed after comparing the multimodal travel and cargo management solutions available for the road and the solutions available in the water. Design features include that the watercraft be similar to a traditional house: interior living area/patio/garage; that the watercraft be able to transport people as well cargo, vehicles, jet skis, and/or personal watercraft; and that the watercraft be able to use any of them in any anchorage situation allowing multimodal travel without needing external support. Also, the watercraft can have handicapped accessibility.

FIGS. 1-22 show a multimodal watercraft 1 that can sail offshore and that includes a main hull 18 with at least one portion missing from the main hull 18. As shown in this example, the main hull 18 is missing the center portion and can be thought of as a multi-hull watercraft. The watercraft 1 includes one or more holds 2 in the missing portion that could be used to store and deploy auxiliary vehicles, providing different load/unload options available for cargo and crew. The holds 2 include a structural cell defined by a structure 3 in the watercraft 1 and one or more floors 4, 5 that can be detached from the main watercraft 1. As shown, the floors 4 and 5 are auxiliary boats detachable from the main hull 18 and maneuverable in the water independently of the main hull 18. In the missing portion, inner side walls 20 of the main hull 18 define the sides of the holds 2.

The watercraft 1 can sail alone, or with one or both of the auxiliary boats 4, 5, inside. As shown the figures, in this embodiment the auxiliary boats 4, 5 are assembled in the middle and the holds 2 are used for storage.

As shown in FIG. 4-5, there is a central hold divided in two areas separated by a shutter 12 (shown in FIGS. 15 and 16). The floor of the holds 2 are defined when two auxiliary boats 4,5 are assembled with the main hull 18.

As show in FIGS. 6-9, in this particular embodiment the front auxiliary boat 4 is a landing craft and the rear auxiliary boat 5 is a pontoon, but these auxiliary boats could be pontoons, landing crafts, hovercrafts, or other watercrafts that could be raised or lowered out of the water and detached from the watercraft 1. Additionally, although not show, each auxiliary boat may include its own propulsion system for maneuvering the auxiliary boat independently of the main watercraft 1.

Also there are several specific systems that allow the different capabilities of the watercraft 1: an UP/DOWN system, a SEALING system, a LOCKING system, a CARGO MANAGEMENT system, and a MOBILITY system.

The UP/DOWN system shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 allows the vertical movement and immobilization of the auxiliary boats 4, 5 that form the floor of the hold 2. In this embodiment this system includes two bridge cranes 6 in the hold, columns with rails 7 for guidance with a male connector 8, mechanical locks, and a female connector 9 on the auxiliary boats 4, 5.

In other embodiments there is no need of bridge cranes and the male connectors 8 in the laterals of the hold are driven along the rails 7 using a motive means located at least partially in the rails. This alternative system includes advantages in the ability to automatically control the lowering and raising with suitable control equipment, such as an electronic control system. For example, the motive system may include an automated drive system at least partially located within the rails 7 and operable to move the rail connectors 8 within the rails 7.

Alternatively, one or more of the auxiliary boats 4, 5 could be raised and lowered by raising and lowering wing profiles 19 fitted below the auxiliary boats 4, 5 as shown in FIG. 12. The wing profiles 19 span across the width of the auxiliary boat 4, 5 and are designed to act as hydrofoils to produce lift. The lift produced by the hydrofoil reduces the hull resistance, which increases speed, while also increasing the load-bearing capability. The hydrofoil reduces the power needed to maintain service speed, and therefore fuel consumption and running costs are reduced. The wing profiles 19 may be detachable from the auxiliary boats 4, 5. The wing profiles 19 can be raised and lowered to raise and lower the auxiliary boats 4, 5. Also, the hydrofoils can remain attached to the boats 4, 5 such that the wing profiles 19 function as hydrofoils for the auxiliary boats 4, 5 when the auxiliary boats 4, 5 are separated from the watercraft 1. Alternatively, with the auxiliary boats 4, 5 raised within the hold 2, the auxiliary boats 4, 5 may be locked into place and the wing profiles 19 lowered into the water separately from the auxiliary boats 4,5 to function as hydrofoils for the watercraft 1 itself.

Also, all or a portion of one or both of the auxiliary boats 4, 5 may be maneuvered or positioned at different levels to be used as a ramp 10 either facing the bow or the stern of the watercraft toward the port or the beach at different levels. In this particular embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the ramp 10 may include the front of the auxiliary boat 4 that acts as the frontal closure of the hold 2.

The SEALING system, showed in FIGS. 13 and 14, guarantees the watertight capability of the hold. This system uses the interaction between the watercraft 1 and the auxiliary boats 4, 5. In this particular embodiment the laterals 11 of the auxiliary boat are inflatable against the inner side walls of the main hull to assure a pneumatic closure of the hold 2. In these figures only the laterals of the auxiliary boats are represented for clarity. The laterals may be inflated using any suitable method, including an electric air compression system.

In other embodiment, the auxiliary boats 4, 5 fit in a determined position against the main watercraft 1. Through the regulation of the position of the auxiliary boats, the height of the hold can be regulated, taking in consideration the cargo as well the navigation conditions.

The LOCKING system, showed in FIGS. 15 and 16, grants independence to the auxiliary boats 4, 5 and the main watercraft 1 when needed. The main watercraft 1 has locks to avoid the intrusion from the water when the auxiliary boats 4, 5 are detached. In the same way there would be shutters 12 to separate and lock the auxiliary boats 4, 5, from the outside. The shutters 12 may be removable or retractable and may be made of any suitable material, such as metal. The shutters 12 extend from the ceiling of the hold to engage the auxiliary boats 4, 5.

The CARGO MANAGEMENT system provides different load/unload possibilities as showed in FIGS. 17-21. The load/unload of cargo could be done: (1) indirectly through the auxiliary boats 4 and 5 or directly from the main watercraft 1 using at least one bridge crane 6 in the hold 2; (2) manually through the ramp 10; or (3) through a part of the deck 13 that shapes the ceiling of the storage area that can be opened or removed to allow access for a crane to load/unload cargo or other items into/from one of the holds.

The MOBILITY system shown in FIG. 22 allows access to the main hull 18 of the watercraft 1 as well the auxiliary boats 4, 5 when they are assembled together even for reduced mobility people. The MOBILITY system includes exterior elevators 14, interior elevator 16, direct access from the exterior 15, and ramps and stairs 17.

Due to the described configuration, the watercraft 1 has the following capabilities:

When sailing as a livable boat, the boat is watertight and usable for passing from the main watercraft to the auxiliary boats since they are integrated. Also each boat could sail independently if desired with the main watercraft locked.

When anchored, the auxiliary boats could be detached from the watercraft 1 and the watercraft thus can carry on other vehicles to allow multimodal leisure travel, with ways to load/unload cargo and passengers in different anchorage situations, including for example, beach, port, and the like as described above.

The watercraft 1 could have one or more propulsion types (e.g., sail, motor . . . ) and could have different kind of hulls (e.g., foils, swath . . . )

Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific details, it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations on the scope of the invention, except to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-modal watercraft including: a hull including a missing portion; a floor completing at least part of the missing portion of the hull and forming the floor of a hold; and wherein the floor can be raised and lowered and also is detachable from the hull with the watercraft.
 2. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the floor is an auxiliary boat detachable from the hull.
 3. The watercraft of claim 2, further including more than one floor forming more than one auxiliary boat.
 4. The watercraft of claim 3, wherein the missing portion extends in the middle of the watercraft from the front the back and the auxiliary boats are arranged in a row within the missing portion.
 5. The watercraft of claim 3, further including shutters that isolate auxiliary boat portions of the hold.
 6. The watercraft of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary boat allows for the unloading of cargo or passengers.
 7. The watercraft of claim 2, further including: the hull including a side wall defining the missing portion; the auxiliary boat including inflatable laterals; and wherein inflation of the inflatable laterals is operable to form a seal against the side wall.
 8. The watercraft of claim 7, further including: wherein the missing portion is defined by two side walls in the hull extending in the middle of the watercraft from the front the back; the auxiliary boats are arranged in a row within the missing portion; and wherein inflation of the inflatable laterals is operable to form seals against the side walls.
 9. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the hold is sealable by engaging the floor with the hull.
 10. The watercraft of claim 1, further including: rails; rail connectors that can travel within the rails; floor connectors attached to the floor; and wherein the floor is raised or lowered from the water by connecting the guide and floor connectors and moving the guide connectors within the rails.
 11. The watercraft of claim 10, further including a bridge crane that is operable to move the rail connectors within the rails.
 12. The watercraft of claim 10, further including an automated drive system at least partially located within the rails and operable to move the rail connectors within the rails.
 13. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the hold includes a bridge crane that is movable in the hold to move cargo.
 14. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein a portion of the top of the hold can be opened or removed to allow loading/unloading cargo from the hold.
 15. The watercraft of claim 14, wherein the portion of the top of the hold is removable to allow loading/unloading cargo with a crane.
 16. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the floor further includes a hydrofoil fitted below the floor.
 17. The watercraft of claim 16 wherein the hydrofoil is separable from the floor and able to be positioned to operate as a hydrofoil for the watercraft.
 18. The watercraft of claim 16 wherein the hydrofoil is detachable from the watercraft with the floor.
 19. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein all or a portion of the floor can be lowered and hoisted to form a ramp.
 20. The watercraft of claim 1, further including at least one elevator allowing access to the hold for people. 